Potential uses of LF‐NMR and MRI in the study of water dynamics and quality measurement of fruits and vegetables

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of nondestructive imaging techniques for evaluating internal and external quality characteristics of fruits and vegetables and the future prospects of those technologies within the food industry. Low‐field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF‐NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are viable technologies in assessing water status, which can significantly impact the quality of fruits and vegetables' texture, tenderness, and microstructure. This review examined some of the most widely studied agricultural fruits and vegetables, described NMR/MRI techniques, and explained the benefits of their implementation in the assessment of internal quality attributes such as internal defects, water content, nutrition content, maturity, fruit firmness, and seed detection, as well as physicochemical and microbiological quality in both commercial and industrial applications. In spite of considerable developments in the quality measurement of fruits and vegetables and their products, the implementation of these techniques at an industrial level has been unsatisfactory. Practical applications This paper aimed to present a magnificent knowledge about fruit/vegetable processing and preservation techniques pertaining to quality evaluation. If the appropriate skills and the introduced tools are combined and utilized in an innovative and suitable way, a high quality of fruit/vegetable products with a high nutritional value can be achieved. This will be beneficial for both producers and customers.

Postharvest Water Loss of Wine Grape: When, What and Why

“…In recent years, nuclear magnetic resonance and magnetic resonance for imaging (MRI) instruments, even in the low-field (LF-NMR) configuration, have been studied as tools able to perform interesting evaluations in the field of food science and technologies and, in particular, in the quality measurements of fruits and vegetables [ 129 ]. Within the so-called non-destructive technologies, magnetic resonance, in its different operative arrangements, has been used for detecting the internal structure and morphology, as well as the water dynamics, of horticultural crops [ 130 ].…”

“…NMR contributed to elucidate the water-related characteristics, carbohydrates and protein, and other metabolites related to the nutritional quality in food products [ 131 ]. Even the internal characteristics from the physical, structural, physiological, and pathological point of view have been well associated to the NMR techniques and its applications [ 129 ]. In grapes, MRI has been used for evaluating the internal quality attributes and monitoring the berry ripening evolution [ 132 ].…”

Water Behavior of Emulsions Stabilized by Modified Potato Starch

“…There is increasing interest in low field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF NMR), a method designed to study the dynamics of protons [ 18 , 19 ]. It makes it possible to study the molecular dynamics of water as well as phenomena occurring in fats [ 20 , 21 ], which opens new prospects of studying of complex food systems.…”

Quality Characteristics and Moisture Mobility of Giant Salamander (Andrias davidianus) Jerky during Roasting Process

“…Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the second form of NMR relaxometry, can offer visualized signal of water migration and distribution [25,26]. Up to now, LF-NMR and MRI techniques enjoy wide application in food quality characterization, especially quantification the variations of moisture allotment and movability involved in food processing and storage [27,28].…”